Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Elected officials are as a general rule held to a higher standard of accountability when it comes to personal actions taken while in political office. The voting public wants people who represent them to treat everyone with respect and equality. Off color jokes and other demeaning behaviors might and I stress only might be accepted at tea party meetings but not in government offices.

It is one thing when you are only representing yourself or the Republican Party to act stupid in public but quite another when you represent the views of the public in a job position. Behaviors of the past just are not viewed well in today’s polite society by anyone in the Democratic Party.

Now we are facing an issue of such misguided behavior from a republican county commissioner who made the mistake of expressing his poor personal views in writing which was reported in the news. How could anyone be surprised when the voting public gathered on the steps of the county offices downtown to demand the removal of Bernalillo County Commissioner Michael Weiner?

Racist remarks are just not acceptable in today’s society and of course the voting public is going to react to any public official who knowingly transmits them to other individuals.

Monday, March 29, 2010

I was at a meeting the other evening where someone spoke up and said that if a person did not agree with the complete and whole party platform as they viewed it that they should just get out. Fairly strong cold words coming for a leader of our party and not the example I wanted to see put forth for either current or future generations.

Diversity can be a good thing because it reminds us that not all people are the same and neither should they be the same. The Party has grown over the last few years because of our willingness to accept diversity and to understand that we do not have to agree on every single issue. We at times must be willing to agree to disagree or the divide will break us apart which would benefit no single person or the party as a whole.

The desire should be a government who treats everyone with respect and social kindness. Ours should be a party which helps the weak and encourages the strong to do better. We should reach out to everyone equally and encourage civil discourse between groups with different options. We are at times a very disorganized group of diverse people who feel strongly on a number of issues and no one should every be forced to agree with anyone single issue just to be able to stay a member of our party in good standing.

Life in general creates diversity and we as a party should enbrace it with hope for a brighter future for all Americans.

While high paid administration of education in this state feel safe knowing that short of total replacement of people like APS President Winston Brooks and UNM President David Schmidly nothing will endanger their outrageous salaries and their unneeded jobs.

Unfortunately the same cannot be said for low paid staff and teachers who work directly with students in this state. For people like Brooks and Schmidly it is not about the education of our children which must take a back seat to protecting a corrupt upper class of administration that has totally failed both New Mexicans and our children over the years.

The news on Friday reported no attempt by these administrations to reduce cost from top levels of administration where fewer cuts would be required for the same amount of dollars saved but instead they are looking at cutting incomes from those that can least afford it, taking needed support systems from our children and harming our local city economy since those same low income individuals would be more likely to spend any income earned while high paid administrators are more likely to bank that same income.

Diane Denish is calling for the deletion of 100 boards and committees in her cost saving for the future and I can see the voting public and parents as being very in favor of such future actions as a way to again be in control of a out of control educational system. Educational administrators are given no reason to put money given to them by the legislator into the classroom since their income is directly linked to a lump sum and not divided out as administration and front line educational funding.

Higher up educational administrators are using funding provided by the state government to lobby legislators to keep the system intact so as to protect their salaries with benefits and therefore nothing and no one is trying to protect our children and the system that was created to educate them in the first place. When will parents and voters a like begin to ask what is wrong with this picture?

Thursday, March 25, 2010

For far too long the Republican Party and its hate groups have been sowing the seeds of hate in this country. We have seen it during election years on full display with no desire on their part to calm the angry crowds that make hate the bases for their everyday life.

Just last year someone left a hate sign in my driveway on national night out when I and my child were walking home from a neighborhood event. Now those same hate groups are turning on our elected officials in the U.S. Congress.

When republican elected officials cannot control their own behavior in public and show a little common respect to elected members of our party it is little wonder that their followers feel free to attack. With people like Rush and Palin encouraging hate and violence on the radio and television everyday of the week what hope do we have of peaceful discord between the parties.

It is past time for the Republican Party to offer a hand in friendship to the democrats. It is past time for our two parties to start to work together for the common good of the American voting public. The democrats have offered repeatedly to work with their counter parts. Now is the time for republican leadership to offer their hand in friendship and work with our party.

If hate speech and violent behavior continues it will only lead to unnecessary harm of someone who should be shown respect for their desire to help the American people through public service.

Reports are that no less than ten elected officials of the House of Representatives have be threatened with harm or death and that cannot be accepted by either party.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Today in an article published by the Albuquerque Journal a claim was made that Appeal Court Judge Candidate Dennis Montoya maybe guilty of ethics violations. It appears that this is not the first time he has had problems with ethics issues when dealing with clients.

This is a sad occurrence since Mr. Montoya is our first candidate to run on public funding. At present Mr. Montoya has not been found guilty of any ethics violation since the case is still under investigation. Mr. Montoya did say that he is innocent of any claims when asked about the complaint filed against him by his opponent.

In New Mexico we have a system where any judicial candidate is reviewed by a panel appointed by lawyers and politicians to review their legal and personal history to see if they are qualified to sit on the bench. After being appointed by the governor candidates are then required to run in a partisan race which further investigates any candidate by the voting public but if not selected by the panel then the candidates are not required to go through any system or process of review before being allowed to run for office against the appointed candidate.

The purpose of this two part system is to keep our court system open and honest along with answerable to the voting public of both parties. Those future judges will of course be required to sit in judgment of the public who voted them into office. Our legal system is a public one and we value that in our country. We want judges that are honest, ethical and who do not feel that they are somehow better then the people they serve or sit in judgment of everyday of the week.

Perhaps the requirements for a judicial candidate should be looked at in the future to require lawyers that want to run for office not to be under current investigation or found guilty of any serious ethics violations since ethics is a real and serious issue in our state when it comes to both parties.

Any complaints filed against a lawyer at present are not made public so voters do not have the ability or opportunity to look into what if any problems a candidate might have had in the past. The only reason this complaint came to light was due to a lawsuit filed by the lawyer’s client.

The current system was created to protect innocent lawyers from being unduly harmed by unfounded ethics claims but it does appear to hinder the public interest when someone runs for a public office. Perhaps in the future those complaints should be made public if a lawyer does decide to run for a public office since by the very act of declaring they agree to a serious review by the voting public of their character.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Today Brian Colon continued to work round the clock to speak with voters that up until now had not decided who they were voting for and/or individuals are now deciding to support our number one candidate for Lieutenant Governor.

My gratitude tonight is profound. I am thankful for those in past generations whose heroic efforts brought this great goal within reach for our times. I am thankful for the members of Congress whose months of effort and brave votes made it possible to take this final step. But most of all, I am thankful for you.

This day is not the end of this journey. Much hard work remains, and we have a solemn responsibility to do it right. But we can face that work together with the confidence of those who have moved mountains.

Our journey began three years ago, driven by a shared belief that fundamental change is indeed still possible. We have worked hard together every day since to deliver on that belief.

We have shared moments of tremendous hope, and we've faced setbacks and doubt. We have all been forced to ask if our politics had simply become too polarized and too short-sighted to meet the pressing challenges of our time. This struggle became a test of whether the American people could still rally together when the cause was right -- and actually create the change we believe in.

Tonight, thanks to your mighty efforts, the answer is indisputable: Yes we can.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

The Democratic Party has core values of supporting low income individuals, working class Americans and those that cannot defend themselves such as the elderly and children.

Now we must decide will we vote for just anyone who calls themselves a democrat or do we want candidates that support core party values. Do we want candidates that like the Udall family make us proud to call ourselves democrats everyday of the week?

We must remember that we are the party of inclusion and that to outcast anyone is to close our minds and our hearts to people who can bring value to our party and that who need our support but at the same time our elected officials need to fight for the values of our party.

We see elected officials like Congressman Harry Teague vote against healthcare reform and State Senator Tim Jennings and John A. Smith vote against education and yet we still vote for these individuals every time they run for reelection because they call themselves democrats.

So the question becomes do we continue to vote for them or do we demand better democrats in those offices and that does not mean that we stay home or allow a republican who is far worse to take their places. In this election year democrats must hold their noses and vote for the lesser of two evils in the southern part of our state.

What we need is to find and develop candidates that act more like Congressman Martin Heinrich, Congressman Ben R. Lujan and State Senator Tim Keller because they know how to work with all voters and still make us proud everyday with what they are achieving for our state and our nation.

In the mean time we must push these democrats to act and vote in the best interest of our state and our nation. We must remind them that they represent New Mexico and its residents no matter what part of the state they live in or vote in.

Stewart Udall was a man who cared greatly for his country and his state. Udall was a hero to many democrats and environmentalist in New Mexico because he believed in leaving a better world for his children and our's alike. His devotion to protecting the southwest and its residents will not soon be forgotten.

We all grieve for this great loss to our state, our country and to the Udall family. Steward Udall lived a long and successful life dying at the age of 90 and his family has mountains and streams of things to be proud of when it comes to the tangible legacy for his life time.

Statement from Congressman Martin Heinrich

“It was with great sadness that I learned of Stewart Udall’s passing. His public service and his leadership were truly an inspiration to me. Stewart Udall will never be forgotten, as his legacy is all around us in our National Parks and public lands.”

Statement from Congressman Ben R. Lujan

“I’m deeply saddened by the passing of former Interior Secretary Stewart Udall,” said Rep. Luján. “Secretary Udall was a great American and a great New Mexican whose legacy is visible throughout our country. Throughout his long and distinguished career in public service, Secretary Udall worked tirelessly to stand up for the people whose voices were otherwise not heard and to protect resources that will serve us for years to come. Secretary Udall’s compassion and pragmatism are a model for all, and his actions left a legacy that we will remember and honor for generations. My thoughts and prayers are with Secretary Udall’s family at this difficult time.”

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Today I went to view a case in Judge Bob Schwartz’s courtroom. I have to admit that when you watch the judge in action there is no question that he is very good at his job when it comes to the courtroom. He knows the letter of law and is caring and compassionate to the victims. We are lucky to have quality judges in the Second District Court System. We could use a few more judges to lighten the load on all of our judges since quantity does not product quality in judgments.

It breaks your heart to watch young women stand up before judges like Judge Schwartz and tell them that it is ok for their boyfriends to hit them because they are in love. Judges face this everyday and I don’t even begin to understand how they do not become jaded by it. There is not easy call when it comes to dealing with this behavior in a courtroom.

Counseling clearly needs to be something that both parties go through before they are allowed physical contact with each other. How young do our young women lean that it is somehow ok for a boyfriend to continue hitting them even thought they are no longer children and the attacks become physically harmful? How do we begin to put an end to this behavior which has made our state one of the top states when it comes to violence’s against women?

Judges have their hands tied when it comes to dealing with this issue because the laws are limited and it does not help when a victim refuses to testify against her abuser no matter how many times it happens. Human emotions are part of the problem because these women who have low self esteem fear a loss of love and support from their abusers. Families enable the abusers by giving them money and a place to go when they ask for release.

We have to wonder just how effective counseling is when offenders repeat the behavior over and over again over a period of years. Young women watch on television everyday where superstars face the same difficult emotional problems. While writing this I was listening to commentators talk about abusive text messages sent from Tiger Woods and yet there was no talk of legal action against him. The president made a mistake today by supporting Tiger Woods and should reconsider his words carefully since he has two young daughters of his own. We as a nation must forcefully condemn abusive behavior of men against women otherwise we send the wrong message to our young women.

These three candidates will not have to gain more signatures in order to appear on the primary ballot.

Jerry Ortiz Y Pino—18.87% which is rounded up to 19%Linda Lopez—4.73% which is rounded up to 5%

Both of these candidates will need to acquire more signatures in order to appear on the primary ballot.

Looks like all five candidates are willing to make the effort to appear on the primary ballot which will most likely help the front runners in this race. A lot of work will need to be done in the next few weeks and the candidates will not be getting much rest.

Congressman Teague was reminded loud and clearly that he is a Democrat and that the Party supports healthcare reform. It will not be republicans voting to keep Congressman Harry Teague in office this fall since they already have a candidate.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Senator Bingaman New Mexico’s senior senator was kind enough to stop and answer a few short questions after he nominated Diane Denish as our next governor. It will take a short amount of time to stop calling her Lieutenant Governor but we look forward to the day when we can all call her Governor Denish.

The American People are fed up with it and now even the U.S. House of Representatives are fed up with the stonewalling that continues to go on in the U.S. Senate. Senator Tom Udall wants the practice of silent filibusters to end so our representatives can get the work of the people done. If a senator objects to a bill then let him or her stand up and speak in public and not hide behind a veil of secrets by using rules designed to protect everyone but the U.S. voting public.

Today Congressman Martin Heinrich joined other congressmen and women to demand action on the bills that would help Americans to get healthcare and stop practices that reward only the rich with tax breaks and failed deregulation of the Wall Street companies and their CEOs.

“The Congress has a choice between the failed policies of the past—tax breaks for the rich, deregulation of Wall Street and letting CEOs control health care—and the change this country truly deserves. If any Senator chooses to filibuster efforts to create jobs, crack down on Wall Street, and fix our broken health care system, then they must make that choice in full view of the American people and commit the time and effort required for such a procedure.” Let's put our U.S. Senators back to work for the people and demand that the rules for slient filibusters end today.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

The governor is looking at the food tax which is nothing more than a tax on the working poor of New Mexico. While richer individuals who pay less of a percentage of their total earnings in taxes are not asked to bear the pain of supporting programs the poor are always the first to pay because they cannot afford a lobbyist in Santa Fe to fight for their needs.

A food tax will harm low income children in this state by taking food away from them and their parents. How can a civilized society even consider taxing the low income while letting the rich off the hook when the economy is down? Where are the moral values of all those rich republicans when it comes to helping the weakest and most fragile in this state?

Our state’s government has a responsibility to help individuals based on the best results for the most amounts of people and in this state low income far outnumbers the rich.

If the rich want to play less in taxes then maybe they should consider paying their employees a livable wage in the first place so that government would not have to make up the different. They appear to think that they could do a better job than government so why are they not stepping up to the plate and making sure that no worker in this state receives a pay check that does not support themselves and their families.

Data is clear that a huge number of individuals in this state are not paid a salary or wage that meets the basic needs of someone living in our towns and cities. Government would get a lot smaller if it was not forced by greedy rich people to rebalance the amount of wealth in this state. Even colleges and universities refuse to pay individuals a livable wage that would prevent the need to rebalance the amount of wealth in this state.

Simple answer for a way to cut the size of government is for large employers to start acting like small business leaders and pay their workers a wage that did not require the local government to provide services and tax breaks to the working poor in the first place. Maybe the government would be better off requiring that employer’s meet a standard when it comes to employing individuals and providing a livable wage with benefits. Those companies that meet the standard would be required to pay less in taxes while those that do not are required to pay more in taxes. This state should be one of the first to put an end to corporate welfare. Employers should be forced to get real about the amount of profit to expect for any business enterprise.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

In the past people have wondered about this convention even though it is the system we use to determine who will be on the ballot come the Democratic Primary. This year I will be a delegate which will be one among many at the convention. I have to admit that it looks like it will be a fun and interesting weekend for Democrats.

The idea is to vote for the best candidates so that in the end we have a serious candidate who can win come November for each open race. We as delegates want to support candidates who will support the party platform to the best of their abilities. We want to support candidates who show leadership qualities and values that will appeal to the democratic general voters. Skills and qualifications are a must for our future candidates.

I have always had my own personal misgivings about this process because it limits the number of candidates to those who can win the support of 20% of the elected delegates otherwise they have to go out and get more signatures in order to get on the ballot for the primary. The delegates that will vote to put the candidates on the primary ballot are elected by active voters who show up for the ward meetings and support the people who are running for to be delegates.

So why become a delegate if you have misgivings about the process, well I can see the other side of this augment because I have run into candidates who are just far to unfit to be elected to any office. So I can see where this process will produce strong fit candidates who represent the best our party has to offer the voting public. We have to have a way to weed out unfit candidates who could damage our state if by some fluke they got elected to a public office. There has to be more to a candidate then just a charming face and the fact that they are a good talker if we are to protect the voters and their families of this state.

Delegates spend long hours educating themselves on every little detail of many candidates so as to determine which candidates would do the best job for the voting public. This process takes a great deal of time and you have to be willing to speak to many individuals in order to get a broad view. I can tell you that this is a lot of work for no pay but you do get to attend parties and meet some of the finest representatives our state has to offer along with a few nutcases.

So as a delegate what do you look for in a candidate?

Honesty

Integrity

Candor

Sincerity

Intelligences

Vision

People Skills

An ability to work with diverse groups

A stable home life

Caring positive relationships with close family and friends

A positive desire to work for the voters in this state

A clear understanding of financial matters

A willingness to be a public servant

A good speaking voice

An ability to work long hard hours with little to no sleep

Some knowledge of the job and a vision for how to achieve goals that match those of the party and the voting public which except for a rare occasion should be the same

A sense of humor and an ability to handle personal attacks

An ability to talk total strangers out of large sums of money during short phone calls

A willingness to shake hands endlessly and spend endless amounts of time talking to future constituents

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Thursday evening all of the candidates for sheriff were invited to attend a forum put on by the Bernalillo County Democratic Party at the UNM Law School. The idea was to get to meet the candidates and hear them speak. Two of the candidates did not show for the forum and sighted work issues. The other two were Pat Davis and Sisi Saenz-Miranda.

Pat Davis’ opening remarks:

Sisi Sanez-Miranda’s opening remarks:

Sisi had a few problems with the microphone but it was fixed by giving her the one being held by the moderator Peter St. Cyr. The voice you hear asking the questions for this event is Peter St. Cyr who worked for KKOB radio until lately when he moved to KOAT-TV. Congrats to Mr. St. Cyr on the new position.

Some of the questions you will hear asked during this event were directed at the fact that these two candidates have non transitional roles in society and I personally feel that any candidate should be judged on their skills and not their sex or gender. This is the 21st century and we need good people in positions of leadership in this state.

The rest of the questions will be posted on the YouTube channel for people to watch. The link is at the bottom of the page.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

"I have long been a supporter of the public option, and I have voted for it every time it has come before the Senate. I drafted the public option provision in the HELP Committee and co-sponsored the public option amendment in the Finance Committee. If the public option came up for a vote in reconciliation I would vote yes."

Not the strongest endorsement in the history of the senate but it is an endorsement. There are now 34 U.S. Senators calling for a reconciliation vote on the public option which includes both of our New Mexico U.S. Senators.

The demand for a public option is now beginning to be heard in Washington. With health care changes being the center of attention progressives are calling for a vote on the public option which would only require 50 votes plus that of the vice president.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Democrats are looking at yet another go round with the republican controlled state senate in Santa Fe today. Word has it that they want a food tax and to tax the poor in this state even more while protecting the richest after all who is the VIPs in this state? Not the voting public that is for sure!

So what should the changes be if a budget would be good for the voters and not rich republicans, red dog democrats (like John A. Smith and Tim Jennings) and lobbyists?

No cuts to teachers and support staff earning under $40,000 a year and no cuts to the classrooms for material and supplies. As for Administration who earn more and are out of control have at it. Too often what you hear from legislators is that they cannot control where the budget is cut because they give schools lump sum amounts that never reach the teachers, support staff or the classrooms. Time to fix that problem!

No increases to food taxes that would hit hard working families in this state and discourage purchases for small businesses.

Let’s talk an increase in personal income taxes for people earning over 250,000 for one and a higher number for married couples.

Let’s talk sin taxes on smoking, drinking and junk foods like candy and soda. Kids can live with less candy if parents really want to be honest on this issue. It does not say that you cannot buy candy for your kids but if you pay a little more then maybe you will buy a little less.

Close loop holes for large box stores and chain stores that send their tax dollars out of our state. We need to be more supportive of our own local small businesses in this state and the republicans could care less about this valuable resource to our state.

If we were honest then democrats need to understand that the days of not raising taxes are gone with the bull market and will not return anytime in the near future. Tighter controls are going to have to be applied to government administration if we do not want to harm New Mexican Working Families and New Mexico small businesses.

Common sense says that we start the budgeting process earlier and we start asking for written support when the government is asked to spend money on any item. We need to ask college presidents how many VPs do you honestly need and why when the unemployment rate is so high are you paying them outrages salaries in the first place?

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Quotes:

"For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die."

The O'Coilean (O'Collins)

'A great host with whom it is not fortunate to contend, the battle-trooped host of the O'Coileain."Abraham Lincoln

"With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."From NPR Radio"Rosa sat so Martin could walk.Martin walked so Obama could run.Obama ran so our children can fly!"

Ralph Waldo Emerson

"I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new."Unknown"Friendship is loving someone no matter what is in their past. It is accepting the fact that they are human and that they have made their share of mistakes over a life time. Trust is being able to tell your friend the most private secret knowing that they will not judge you. A life is not lived well without that one true and trusted friendship."Mary Harris "Mother" Jones

"My job is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable"

Albert Einstein

"Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."Will Rogers"I don't belong to an organized party--I'm a democrat."President John F. Kennedy, Democrat“If by a ‘liberal’ they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people—their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties—someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a ‘Liberal,’ then I’m proud to say I’m a ‘Liberal.’”Martin Luther King Jr.

"Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase."

Lora O'Brien

"All I can do is share one person's experiences on her own path, not tell you how to walk yours. If a guru is what you are looking for, find another! If I am a teacher, it is because I am already walking the path that you, Dear Reader, may wish to be on. Although each of us must make our own way, I can put up signs at least, and make the way slightly less hazardous for those who wish to walk a similar path."

C. S. Lewis

"Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives."

A Female Democrat

1/1/10 A new year and a number of future elections to cover. The budget will be a major issue this year and we must work hard to protect the core values of our party.